Feel free to skip straight to AW2

[nakayuri7]

If you're wondering whether you should play this game to prep for AW2, just watch a story summary video on youtube.  Nothing happens in this game that can't be properly summarized in 5 minutes.  This game is NOT story heavy, and there aren't many (or any) character relationships that must be kind of "digested" slowly by playing through the story.  Listen to the developer when they say it's completely unnecessary to play AW1.  While I did manage to 100% this game, most of the time was spent being pissed off at ridiculously bad controls (it's as bad as first 2 Hitman games on PS2) and equally ridiculous collection duty.  When 90% of the game takes place in a dark forest, it is not fun looking for collectibles!  

 

P.S. I am not actually recommending Alan Wake 2, as I haven't played it yet.  This game makes me question if I should bother! 

[FocusDR]

Really? What was the point in this thread? 
 

are you saying for anyone who wants to play AW2 who hasn’t played Alan Wake? Either way the game is brilliant and although you’re right it’s not story heavy and there’s no cliff hanger or anything but I would recommend playing the first one before AW2. 

[kenseizenkai]

46 minutes ago, nakayuri7 said:

If you're wondering whether you should play this game to prep for AW2, just watch a story summary video on youtube.  Nothing happens in this game that can't be properly summarized in 5 minutes.  This game is NOT story heavy, and there aren't many (or any) character relationships that must be kind of "digested" slowly by playing through the story.  Listen to the developer when they say it's completely unnecessary to play AW1.  While I did manage to 100% this game, most of the time was spent being pissed off at ridiculously bad controls (it's as bad as first 2 Hitman games on PS2) and equally ridiculous collection duty.  When 90% of the game takes place in a dark forest, it is not fun looking for collectibles!  

 

P.S. I am not actually recommending Alan Wake 2, as I haven't played it yet.  This game makes me question if I should bother! 

 

This reminds of what legendary John Carmack (co-creator of Doom & Quake) famously said: "Story in a game is like a story in a porn movie. It's excepted to be there, but it's not that important."

 

Story in video games is important, especially if it's written by Sam Lake. & for anyone looking to play Alan Wake 2 in the future, but didn't finish Alan Wake or the dlcs, I say finish the main game & both dlcs. You'll have better understanding of the story, characters, world, terminology & game mechanics. Alan Wake 2 starts right where the 2nd dlc ended.

[HusKy]

With this logic, you could skip gaming altogether and just watch 5 min recaps on YouTube. Great for people with short attention span for sure.

[DrBloodmoney]

Feel free to skip straight to the next thread.

[ThatMuttGuy]

10 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

Feel free to skip straight to the next thread.

 

I haven't read the next thread, but I'm sure it's better than this one. 

[ShadyWARcotix]

Next game which got hated because of trophies or "collectibles". Trophies and a game are 2 different pair of shoes.
Some people here bash on games because of stupid trophies.. It really doesn't make sense lol.

If you didn't liked the story. Well it's your opinion and it's ok, but calling this game "NOT story heavy" is just a lie. Don't listen to him. If you have a chance give this game a go. Awesome thriller!

And AW 2 is a masterpiece 😊

Edited December 7, 2023 by ShadyWARcotix

[ZOLANTON]

For anyone stumbling upon this thread and is interested in playing the remaster or Alan Wake 2, then IGNORE the first post. It is so factually wrong, I can't even begin to describe it.

 

1 hour ago, nakayuri7 said:

This game is NOT story heavy

 

AW1 is incredibly story heavy, in fact the single most charming thing about the game is not its quite flawed combat and the outdated mechanics, but its story. AW2 continues right after this game story-wise and it is important to know a few things about it, like why Alan is where he is in the second game.

 

1 hour ago, nakayuri7 said:

I am not actually recommending Alan Wake 2, as I haven't played it yet

 

Then why do you recommend skipping to the second game if you haven't even played it and don't know how it is connected to the first game and its story?

 

1 hour ago, nakayuri7 said:

Listen to the developer when they say it's completely unnecessary to play AW1

 

Don't lie. Sam Lake said you can play AW2 without playing the first game, but the story would be very confusing to you, as you would miss out on most of it.

Edited December 7, 2023 by ZOLANTON

[MaRo-1000]

[mega-tallica]

"This game NOT story heavy."

 

Alan Wake? NOT story heavy? Well, that's going to be the dumbest thing I read on the internet today. Good accomplishment considering it's not even 9 AM where I am. 

[Alos88]

Telling a completionist you can skip something is like telling a fish it's okay not to swim

[UlvenFenrir]

I understand the op about the story not being heavy but that's only if you don't try to read the manuscript pages and piecing together the overall story. Because on the surface Alan wake 1 is pretty simplistic and the characters aren't that developed compared to other games.

 

With that said, if you skip Alan wake 1 then you can't  expect to understand the story in Alan wake 2. That's pretty much impossible because you will lose alot of context and references to the first game.

 

And just like with Alan wake 2,.if you skip reading the manuscript pages and the overall lore scattered around or if you zone out and don't pay attention to what the characters are saying then you will also miss out on the story and what is actually happening.

 

Alan wake in general requires attention if you want to get something out of the story that's being told.

Edited December 7, 2023 by UlvenFenrir

[Dreakon13]

While I don't necessarily agree with skipping AW1 before playing AW2, I don't disagree with the idea that Alan Wake 1 is both overwhelming and underwhelming narratively.  It says a lot without accomplishing much, things that could be explained in one sentence regularly drags on for three "episodes" and still doesn't get to the point.  It's a stylistic choice as far as the writing goes so I never really considered it a negative for the game... but mixed with gameplay that seriously drags at times, I can see why it might make some people in 2023 turn to something more succinct.

 

 

EDIT: I will say that I think AW2 does a good job of introducing you to the events of the first game, who the players are and why they are where they are/doing what they're doing (as much as it can for a story that never fully shows its hand).  I don't think AW1 is a required play... but for the game with such a rich, creative story I think there's value in seeing the events play out for yourself.

Edited December 7, 2023 by Dreakon13

[nakayuri7]

4 hours ago, FocusDR said:

Really? What was the point in this thread? 
 

are you saying for anyone who wants to play AW2 who hasn’t played Alan Wake? Either way the game is brilliant and although you’re right it’s not story heavy and there’s no cliff hanger or anything but I would recommend playing the first one before AW2. 

 

Point of this thread is to counter what you just recommended.  I played this game because I thought I'd be lost in AW2 storywise, but after playing the game + both DLCS, I feel like I wouldn't have missed anything if I had watched a youtube recap instead. 

4 hours ago, HusKy said:

With this logic, you could skip gaming altogether and just watch 5 min recaps on YouTube. Great for people with short attention span for sure.

A lot of people are in my situation, of wanting to try Alan Wake 2 but unsure if the first game is mandatory. 

[nakayuri7]

3 hours ago, ShadyWARcotix said:

Next game which got hated because of trophies or "collectibles". Trophies and a game are 2 different pair of shoes.
Some people here bash on games because of stupid trophies.. It really doesn't make sense lol.

If you didn't liked the story. Well it's your opinion and it's ok, but calling this game "NOT story heavy" is just a lie. Don't listen to him. If you have a chance give this game a go. Awesome thriller!

And AW 2 is a masterpiece 😊

 

Admittedly I did complain about annoying collectibles, but I did say this game controls like shit.  This is just a warning for those curious about this franchise due to hype af reviews and wondering if it's necessary to play this game first. 

[ThatMuttGuy]

13 minutes ago, nakayuri7 said:

 

Point of this thread is to counter what you just recommended.  I played this game because I thought I'd be lost in AW2 storywise, but after playing the game + both DLCS, I feel like I wouldn't have missed anything if I had watched a youtube recap instead. 

A lot of people are in my situation, of wanting to try Alan Wake 2 but unsure if the first game is mandatory. 

 

You haven't played AW2 yet so you have no idea what you're even talking about. This thread is nonsense. 

[nakayuri7]

5 minutes ago, ThatMuttGuy said:

 

You haven't played AW2 yet so you have no idea what you're even talking about. This thread is nonsense. 

Okay then, spoil me.  If you're so aggressively against this thread, there must be a good reason.  Please do tell what it is so critical that'd be missed by opting for a recap video. 

2 hours ago, Dreakon13 said:

I will say that I think AW2 does a good job of introducing you to the events of the first game, who the players are and why they are where they are/doing what they're doing (as much as it can for a story that never fully shows its hand).  I don't think AW1 is a required play... but for the game with such a rich, creative story I think there's value in seeing the events play out for yourself.

That's a reasonable take.  You think more of the story than I do, but I never criticized the story to begin with.  It's good, but not so heavy that it'd take hours to soak in. 

[nakayuri7]

3 hours ago, UlvenFenrir said:

I understand the op about the story not being heavy but that's only if you don't try to read the manuscript pages and piecing together the overall story. Because on the surface Alan wake 1 is pretty simplistic and the characters aren't that developed compared to other games.

 

I ended up with maybe 65% of the manuscripts first run, and with it being in random order and the game clearly telling you things aren't real, I can't say I was doing much detective work.  I do think reading them provides an insight into Alan's view of the world, but I'd be lying if I said the manuscripts were instrumental in understanding the overall story for me. 

[dezzed]

I am going to believe that you are just farming for attention and outrage, this reeks of bait.

 

Otherwise.. yeah, this thread is definitely one of the threads of all time.

[Juzota]

1 hour ago, nakayuri7 said:

 

I feel like I wouldn't have missed anything if I had watched a youtube recap instead. 

 

 

That's pretty much works with every game so why even bother playing them. Just go watch a youtube recap and save a penny!

[Eblait]

2 hours ago, nakayuri7 said:

I feel like I wouldn't have missed anything if I had watched a youtube recap instead.

 

Of course! Speaking of which, why did you play Resident Evil 7 before starting Resident Evil Village? You could just watch a recap video instead!

 

P.S. I am not actually recommending Resident Evil Village, as I haven't played it yet. This game makes me question if I should bother!

[Dreakon13]

2 hours ago, nakayuri7 said:

That's a reasonable take.  You think more of the story than I do, but I never criticized the story to begin with.  It's good, but not so heavy that it'd take hours to soak in. 

 

You know, if it was 2010 again and I just finished Alan Wake on my Xbox 360... I'd probably agree with you more.  I liked Alan Wake back in the day and it had kind of a niche quality to it that made me want to like it a little bit more than I actually did.  On its own it was good, not great or mindblowing or a must play or anything.

 

But having played Control and Alan Wake 2, I love what Remedy is doing with this combined universe.  It really plays to the strengths of their brand of writing and storytelling that Alan Wake 1 tried to do on its own to varying degrees of success.  Now I look back at Alan Wake 1 and think, it's not perfect but it's pretty damn cool.

Edited December 7, 2023 by Dreakon13

[FocusDR]

18 hours ago, nakayuri7 said:

 

Point of this thread is to counter what you just recommended.  I played this game because I thought I'd be lost in AW2 storywise, but after playing the game + both DLCS, I feel like I wouldn't have missed anything if I had watched a youtube recap instead. 

A lot of people are in my situation, of wanting to try Alan Wake 2 but unsure if the first game is mandatory. 

Okay gotcha! Yeah that’s fair, it isn’t mandatory but I’d recommend playing the first one! 

[Akrioz]

16 hours ago, Juzota said:

That's pretty much works with every game so why even bother playing them. Just go watch a youtube recap and save a penny!

I get that this is a sarcasmic reply but that doesn't work with every game because not all the games have story worth watching. Or don't have story at all. AW1 isn't some kind of gameplay masterpiece, most of the people either neutral about the combat or mildly tolerate it. So you can safely just watch some extended story explanation.

 

The main problem here is that if you don't like the AW1, you'll probably won't like AW2. Story, writing and atmosphere rein supreme in the series. Which means it kinda pointless to continue.  In terms of gameplay the second one is mediocre at best, imo.

[bdias10]

Alan Wake fanboys will get mad at this thread, but tbh this is ONE OF THE WORST GAMES I EVER PLAYED lol. I cant believe  how ppl like this, but a taste is a taste i guess. Never seen a game this bad in ages, like damn. Enemies chasing you? cant sprint for more than a couple seconds, characters? corny as hell, history? equivalent to some really thrash movie that tries really hard to be deep and complex and it is just laughable lol. I wont even mention the 100 % experience having to get 296 collectibles on a dark forest and having to play this Garbage twice lol. If you never played this before, do yourself a favor and avoid this horrible game  

Edited January 30 by bdias10
grammar